Interview

1. Where are you starting from and how?

My land up in the field of theatre was very accidental. The truth is that I’m a printmaker, graduate of Vilnius Art Academy Kaunas Art Faculty Printmaking department. So until 2005 I worked in a field of visual arts (drawing, illustration, printmaking, installation art).

Changes began from a small silicone stamp in the shape of rabbit. I made it for printing on paper, but the imprints were rather disappointing. So I cleaned the stamp and began to examine silicone rabbit searching for any possible defects. Instead, I found some interesting points – silicone rabbit was flexible and tough, it was funny to pull his ears, he was simply good to play. And one bad silicone stamp turned to a perfect miniature silicone puppet.

Soon I made more silicone personages – Bear, Frog, Wolf. They played under the video camera in our first performance “You Won’t Beat Me!” which explored side effects of printmaking: toxicity, excess of paint etc. We developed printmaking to live action involving silicone puppets, their video projection, texts and music. Psilicone theatre roots are in visual art.

2. Which way are you going?

As an artist I was seduced into performing arts because of live contact with the audience. I always felt the lack of it when working in visual arts. That’s why we are performing in places untouched by art – we like to meet people, especially those who are not interested in art, to catch them in their natural environment, to descend on them as they are: half-naked in the swimming pool or just after they’ve finished few mugs of beer in the yard of block houses. We would like to attract not only theatergoers, but also those who have no approaches to art.

3. Where are you going to?

Silicone is being used in many ways, from building constructions to plastic surgery. Psilicone theatre uses it for the needs of soul transforming silicone to psilicone = psi + silicone (psyche Greek – soul). During the performances tough and indestructible silicone puppets move their bodies and demonstrate stamina exercises. Actually they are trainers exercising and hardening the spectators’ soul.

We’re not stopping any soon at live performing; now we are involved in social project researching experiences of being public and in experimental psilicone animation.